Book cover clichés: have you spotted recurrent designs?

Certain themes and stories seem to be packaged with a particular aesthetic. Have you spotted this trend? Share your examplesWhy is it that books about Africa always look the same? A recent article on the blog Africa is a Country demonstrated that "the covers of most novels 'about Africa' seem to have been designed by someone whose principal idea of the continent comes from The Lion King" - reducing it, no matter the subject, geographical area or writer, to an acacia tree and a sunset. This followed a Twitterstorm triggered by a tweet from SimonMStevens:Like so many (wildly varying) writers on Africa, Adichie gets the acacia tree sunset treatment... (@AfricasaCountry) pic.twitter.com/zMQtirfrQ9.@SimonMStevens @AfricasaCountry See also soulful-black-woman-with-colourful-smudges e.g. UK pb eds of Adichie's bks. pic.twitter.com/bt7kUcaP06There is a peculiar phenomenon in English-language publishing in Southeast Asia: a ubiquitous genre perhaps best thought of as Asian sleaze. It spans fiction and non-fiction, but the cover generally features a partially clothed woman with long black hair, either in silhouette, or viewed from behind. The title is usually something along the lines of Bangkok Velvet. The author is always a white man. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #english-language publishing #southeast asia #white man

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How Much Should Children Read? World Book Day Infographic

In honor of World Book Day, the International Publishers Association has an infographic on how much children should read and why literacy is important. The post How Much Should Children Read? World Book Day Infographic appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #children read


We always knew it – 'Harry Potter' books really do cast spells

British scientists say their research confirms that emotion-charged passages in 'Harry Potter' books have significant impact on the brains of readers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harry potter #cast spells #significant impact


Juvenile Book Sales Plummet

With no new hits, sales of juvenile fiction print books fell 46% last week compared to the same week in 2014, while sales of juvenile nonfiction dropped 39%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Univ of Minnesota Press Gets Interactive with Scholarly Books

Through a grant, the University of Minnesota is launching an effort that will allow it to produce interactive digital editions of the books it is publishing in print. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #minnesota press #scholarly books


Connect Books: sales drop but business 'stabilising'

Connect Books has delivered a “much improved” operational performance in the last six months, although sales were down 3% to £103.4m. The Norwich-based company, which comprises Bertrams, Dawson Books and Wordery, also saw its underlying operational profit decrease by 18.6% to £1.9m compared to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sales drop #connect books #norwich-based company #dawson books


Queen Victoria's children's book will be released this summer

The Royal Collection Trust will publish a children's story written by the monarch when she was a young girl. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #queen victoria #young girl


Non-fiction book club for Radio 2

A new non-fiction book club on Claudia Winkleman's weekly BBC Radio 2 "Arts Show" is to launch this autumn, as part of The Reading Agency partnership with the station. The book club follows on from the Radio 2 Book Club on Simon Mayo's show, and a children's writing competition called 500 Words... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #claudia winkleman #book club #simon mayo #chris evans


Cox to cover Skipper's leave at Waterstones

Waterstones' director of buying Kate Skipper will take maternity leave at the end of the month. In her absence, Melissa Cox, head of range and children's, will assume responsibility for the new titles and publisher liaison teams, while Caroline McNulty, category manager for related products,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #assume responsibility #category manager #related products


Reviews of New and Forthcoming Spirituality and Religion Books, April 22, 2015

The sequel to 'Breakfast with Buddha' is among PW's reviews of upcoming spirituality and religion titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming spirituality #religion books #religion titles


Village Books to Open Second Store

Village Books & Paper Dream, Bellingham Wash.’s long-time bookstore, will open up a second location this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #village books


Mass giveaway for World Book Night

More than 250,000 books are to be handed out for free as part of World Book Night Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2015: Decoding the Spanish Language Market

The Spanish language market is not the easiest one to break into. This highlights the importance of cultivating partnerships with international publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international publishers


Anti-Hillary books may be this season's new genre (+video)

A bevy of upcoming books take aim at former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anti-hillary books #upcoming books


Anti-Hillary books may be this season's new genre

A bevy of upcoming books take aim at former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anti-hillary books #upcoming books


Book, Magazine Sales Dipped at BAM

The sale of books and magazines fell by about $3 million in 2014 compared to 2013 at Books-A-Million, the retailer disclosed in its recently filed 10-K report. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazines fell #$3 million


International Hot Book Properties: Week of April 20, 2015

A Hungarian director's novel about his parents' 145 courtship, in Sweden's refugee camps, emerges as a hot book at last week's London Book Fair; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hot book


Moran condemns 'weepingly few books' in local library

Caitlin Moran has written about austerity and libraries in her column for the Times Magazine in which she has said libraries are being starved of funding so they will become "weak mutant ghosts." Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local library #caitlin moran


Introducing Our Reviews of Absurd Self-Published E-Books

When “Kindle Cover Disasters” debuted on Tumblr earlier this year, the Internet ROFLMFAO’d at the truly heinous designs: cheap clipart, effects reminiscent of early Print Shop, clashing pastels, Photoshopping by palsied hands, and fonts so troubling you find yourself celebrating the relative... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post introducing


Scarthin Books raises over £10,000 for repairs

Derbyshire bookshop Scarthin Books has raised more than £10,000 in an appeal to fund urgent structural repairs. Proprietor Dave Mitchell said an engineer has told him he needs to install four steel columns to support 1,000 feet of bookshelves, and has turned to Crowdfunder because he would... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Doerr, Kertzer Win 2015 Pulitzer Book Prizes

Anthony Doerr (fiction), David I. Kertzer (biography) and Gregory Pardlo (poetry) are among the winners of the 2015 Pulitzer Prizes for Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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